mymmeryloss
Member
- :
- 13bT Mazda B2600i
Looks like a lot of fun to me!
magnumP5's RX-7 Build Thread
- Thread starter magnumP5
- Start date
This has all certainly been a learning experience. I finally realized last night that I've been underestimating the power to weld just about everything. As a result I went over all the seams again with my welder at pretty much the highest setting. It certainly isn't pretty but nothing is going anywhere and at least everything will be hidden. All that's left now is to grind down the welds on the mounting surface and the seat goes in! I'll try to snap a few shots of everything together. Next on the list:
1. Modify steering column covers to accept steering wheel adaptor (rubs slightly).
2. Install steering wheel.
3. Start work on depowering steering rack.
Also, does anyone have an old 5-point harness lying around they don't want to use? The SFI certification on most harnesses last only two years so I really don't want to purchase one and mount it now if the car isn't going to be running for another year. However, I do need to work out how a harness is going to be mounted.
mymmeryloss
Member
- :
- 13bT Mazda B2600i
Ya its pretty neat to see how much heat u can actually put at this stuff, but thats with mig.
U can weld so much thicker with flux at the same settings.
It is pretty nifty to think of yourself as a somewhat fabricator though. A few months ago u were saying u wished u could weld and all that jazz, and now u can and are making good use of it!
U can weld so much thicker with flux at the same settings.
It is pretty nifty to think of yourself as a somewhat fabricator though. A few months ago u were saying u wished u could weld and all that jazz, and now u can and are making good use of it!
It's been a while since I've purchased anything so I've had a hole burning in my pocket. To alleviate the heat I purchased the final pieces for my battery relocation project: battery (ETX18L), some SAE battery posts, and trickle charger (Battery Tender). It's been a while since I've powered up the electrical system and I've been nervous about the gauge install that I did afterwards. This should prove/disprove my fears. Now I get to make a custom battery tray!
PrinceValorum
Member
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- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
What do you plan on using for the battery tray? You wouldn't believe how much crap I got for using some 1/8" stock...
I was going to use the leftover 16 game sheet I have to make something like the tiedowns Odyssey sells (full wrap). What was wrong about using 1/8 flat stock? The ETX18L is an AGM battery so I'm not worried about it leaking or anything.
PrinceValorum
Member
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- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
Well I over-engineered it like everything I build and Evan wouldn't shut up about how it would weigh as much as the battery itself... (rolleyes)
Eventually I'll re-do it with some thinner aluminum, but I'll need a tig setup before then.
It sure is small, though!
Eventually I'll re-do it with some thinner aluminum, but I'll need a tig setup before then.
It sure is small, though!
I looked at those but with the ETX18L I got an AGM battery with over 300 CCA that weighs ~17 lbs for less than $90. Cranking power was something I really looked into because the battery would have to be able to start a large-ported rotary engine on those cold early April mornings when the NASA season begins.
Well the seat is in! I'm still working out some last minute details but I finished grinding down the welds on the mounts and reamed out some holes on the seat brackets and everything fits. The seat is literally as low as it can go in its brackets (~1/16" clearance). The next hurdle is going to be making the harness mounting points. The shoulder and 5th point anchors are easy but there is very little space for the lap belt anchors next to the seat. I'll snap some pictures tonight to illustrate.
Well the seat is in! I'm still working out some last minute details but I finished grinding down the welds on the mounts and reamed out some holes on the seat brackets and everything fits. The seat is literally as low as it can go in its brackets (~1/16" clearance). The next hurdle is going to be making the harness mounting points. The shoulder and 5th point anchors are easy but there is very little space for the lap belt anchors next to the seat. I'll snap some pictures tonight to illustrate.
Done with the mounts.
A shot that shows how everything fits with the seat in and the carpet down:
The seat is literally as low as it can go. Without a helmet there's about 2 to 2-1/2" clearance between my head and the headliner.
I took these next two shots to show where I want to anchor the lap belts.
Door side:
Transmission side:
You can see the factory lap belt anchor points in the photos. My concern is that the mounting points are too wide. The factory anchor points are about 1" from the seat on the transmission side and 3" from the seat on the door side. With me in the seat and a mock lap belt (old guitar strap) the angle is about right (> 45 degrees from horizontal). I can always make new anchor points, which are more inward and use backing plates but I'd like to avoid putting more holes in the floor! Thoughts?
I spent last night cleaning out the car (metal shavings and dust everywhere) and trying to install the steering wheel, which apparently isn't quite a bolt-in affair. The adaptor lacks a ~1/8" metal collar like the stock wheel so when I torqued everything down I smashed the turn signal cancellation switch; a minor set-back. $70 later and a new switch is on the way (I seriously thought it was going to be like $400) and a few minutes with a hacksaw and the collar is off the old wheel and ready to be used as a spacer. Hopefully my battery comes in today so I can't re-test the electrical system again tonight and work on mounting the battery.
A shot that shows how everything fits with the seat in and the carpet down:
The seat is literally as low as it can go. Without a helmet there's about 2 to 2-1/2" clearance between my head and the headliner.
I took these next two shots to show where I want to anchor the lap belts.
Door side:
Transmission side:
You can see the factory lap belt anchor points in the photos. My concern is that the mounting points are too wide. The factory anchor points are about 1" from the seat on the transmission side and 3" from the seat on the door side. With me in the seat and a mock lap belt (old guitar strap) the angle is about right (> 45 degrees from horizontal). I can always make new anchor points, which are more inward and use backing plates but I'd like to avoid putting more holes in the floor! Thoughts?
I spent last night cleaning out the car (metal shavings and dust everywhere) and trying to install the steering wheel, which apparently isn't quite a bolt-in affair. The adaptor lacks a ~1/8" metal collar like the stock wheel so when I torqued everything down I smashed the turn signal cancellation switch; a minor set-back. $70 later and a new switch is on the way (I seriously thought it was going to be like $400) and a few minutes with a hacksaw and the collar is off the old wheel and ready to be used as a spacer. Hopefully my battery comes in today so I can't re-test the electrical system again tonight and work on mounting the battery.
mymmeryloss
Member
- :
- 13bT Mazda B2600i
Sounds like ur making great progress!
PrinceValorum
Member
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- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
What do other FC guys do for the belt mounting points?
Jon you may want to try to make your lap belt anchors so that they pivot. That way if you do have a crash the belts will move with you and won't tear. It is hard to explain, just research Dale Earnhardt's crash to see what I am talking about. The lower mounts in Nascar cars all used to be solid mount and after they studied his accident they found that a pivoting mount is far superior. Nascar even changed the rule book and made it mandatory.
Most guys use the stock seat anchors but I'm a little shorter than average and I definitely like being closer to the wheel than most so I'm worried they may be a little too far back (I'll confirm the angle tonight). The thing about the distance (width) from the seat is from reading harness mounting instructions from G-Force and Schroth. Both of them state the lap belt anchor points should be separated by a distance equal to the driver's pelvis or at least no wider than the seat itself. The stock anchor points violate this.
Yeah, I'll definitely be going with the "snap-in" mounting points for the lap and anti-submarine belts.
I just got an email notice stating my battery, charger and terminals were delivered. Total pack weight = 21 lbs!
PrinceValorum
Member
- :
- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
Okay, I see the dilemma now. I'm not sure how to help without being there to see it and weigh options, though.
If I had a harness I'd install everything and see how it goes. I don't want to buy a harness, which only has a 2-year "life", only to have it sit in the car for a year. I'll have to make a substitute in the meantime.
I have such ADD with this project. I spent Friday night with the electrical system again testing the system and trying to design a battery mount. The good news is everything still works and nothing caught on fire! I'm working on the battery mount now. I tried to take some pictures comparing the weight of the old battery to the new one but the way my bathroom scale is designed there wasn't any way to get the battery and the weight in one shot. The new battery is approximately 20 lbs lighter than the old one.
PM sent!
Instead of working on the battery tray like I should have I spent all of last night screwing around with the fuel pump. I did some calculations yesterday and I think I may be a little short of my power goals with 2 1000 cc injectors at standard pressure (43.5 psi). If I can bump the pressure up to about 58 psi or so I think I'll be good. This means I'll need like 75-80 psi at the fuel pump and I don't think the stock fuel pump can handle that. Rather than go with the Walbro like everyone else I went with an Aeromotive unit that supposedly flows more. The downside is I now need to redo my fuel pump wiring with some heavier gauge wires to account for the greater current draw. Ordered last night were the fuel pump (Aeromotive Stealth 340), a bunch of 12 ga wire (blue for power, black for ground), and some misc. electrical connectors. Tonight I'll start on the batter tray again...
Finally some mock up battery tray pictures:
The bottom curved pieces are 1/4" flat stock and are the mounts that will be bolted to the car with M6 bolts with large washers. The trays are 16 ga and the lower one will be welded directly to the mounts. The other flat pieces are the tie down points, which are 1/8" flat stock and will be welded to the top and bottom trays. I have 1/4" threaded rods that will be bolted to the lower tray mounting points and secured at the top with wing-nuts for easy installation/removal. Right now the trays look dangerously close to the battery terminals but I have 1/8" foam tape that is going to cover the insides of the trays to protect against shorts and vibration. It's still a little rough around the edges (literally) but it's getting there.
On another note I'm highly considering running all new fuel lines with 6 AN SS line and fittings.
The bottom curved pieces are 1/4" flat stock and are the mounts that will be bolted to the car with M6 bolts with large washers. The trays are 16 ga and the lower one will be welded directly to the mounts. The other flat pieces are the tie down points, which are 1/8" flat stock and will be welded to the top and bottom trays. I have 1/4" threaded rods that will be bolted to the lower tray mounting points and secured at the top with wing-nuts for easy installation/removal. Right now the trays look dangerously close to the battery terminals but I have 1/8" foam tape that is going to cover the insides of the trays to protect against shorts and vibration. It's still a little rough around the edges (literally) but it's getting there.
On another note I'm highly considering running all new fuel lines with 6 AN SS line and fittings.
PrinceValorum
Member
- :
- 95 626 FS, 89 Toyota Derux 4x4
The battery cage looks awesome! Did you bend the 16ga in a vice?
Yep, 90% of this battery tray has been made the old school way - hack saw and manual forming with a vice and hammer. It's certainly not perfect but once finished up and painted it shouldn't look too bad.
I got all the holes drilled and the top/bottom tiedown point welded yesterday. Still not perfect with the welder but once ground down and painted it should be acceptable. The only "structural" task remaining is to weld the lower tray to the mounts. By the way bolting everything down is going to be a pain in the !@#$ because two of the holes are directly above the rear cross member.
Still debating on the fuel lines. To completely redo the system would be around $550 in lines, fittings, a new fuel filter but it does have the benefit of increasing the fuel line size from 8 mm (~5/16") to 3/8" and look completely badass in the process.
One final random question. I've noticed my wideband gauge loses power briefly when I activate the high beams. I discovered this when testing the electical system. I thought it might be related to current draw but with everything else imagineable on (fan, radio, headlights, flashers, wipers, etc.) this doesn't happen; only with the highbeams. The gauge is tied into the switched 12V source for the stock gauges and the stock gauge illumination circuit. My other gauges are tied into the same but don't suffer this issue. Any ideas?
